Introduction:

World War I began in 1914, after the assassination of Archduke Franz

Ferdinand, and lasted until 1918. During the conflict, Germany, Austria-
Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire (the Central Powers) fought
against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan and the United
States (the Allied Powers). Thanks to new military technologies and the
horrors of trench warfare, World War I saw unprecedented levels of
carnage and destruction. By the time the war was over and the Allied
Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians
alike—were dead.

Causes of world war I:

There were many factors that led up to the start of World War I in Europe.
A lot of these factors were rooted in the deep history of the old powers of
Europe including Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, and
Britain. The real causes of World War I included politics, secret alliances,
imperialism, and nationalistic pride. However, there was one single event,
the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, which started a chain
of events leading to war.

1. Alliances and Politics

In the years leading up to the war, the nations of Europe were constantly
jockeying for power and making alliances. Germany made an alliance with
Austria-Hungary and Italy in 1881. These countries all agreed to protect
each other in the event they were attacked by France. However, Italy then
went and made a secret alliance with France saying they would not aide
Germany.

In response to Germany's alliances, France and Russia established an

alliance in 1892. In 1904, Britain and France signed an agreement. The
Triple Entente was formed between France, Britain, and Russia in 1907.
Germany felt that this powerful alliance surrounding them posed a real
threat to their existence and power in the region.

2. Imperialism

Imperialism is when a country expands its influence and power into a

large empire. Some European countries, such as France and Britain,
had created large worldwide empires and had become very rich.
Other European countries, such as Russia and Germany, wanted to
create their own vast empires. This caused competition and conflict
between many of the countries throughout the world.

3. Militarism

Militarism means that the army and military forces are given a high profile
by the government. The growing European divide had led to an arms
race between the main countries. The armies of both France and Germany
had more than doubled between 1870 and 1914 and there was fierce
competition between Britain and Germany for mastery of the seas. The
British had introduced the ‘Dreadnought’, an effective battleship, in 1906.
The Germans soon followed suit introducing their own battleships. The
German, Von Schlieffen also drew up a plan of action that involved
attacking France through Belgium if Russia made an attack on Germany.

4. Nationalism

Nationalism means being a strong supporter of the rights and interests of

one’s country. The Congress of Vienna, held after Napoleon’s exile to Elba,
aimed to sort out problems in Europe. Delegates from Britain, Austria,
Prussia and Russia (the winning allies) decided upon a new Europe that left
both Germany and Italy as divided states. Strong nationalist elements led
to the re-unification of Italy in 1861 and Germany in 1871. The settlement
at the end of the Franco-Prussian war left France angry at the loss of
Alsace-Lorraine to Germany and keen to regain their lost territory. Large
areas of both Austria-Hungary and Serbia were home to differing nationalist
groups, all of whom wanted freedom from the states in which they lived.

5. Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand

The immediate cause of World War I that made the aforementioned

items come into play (alliances, imperialism, militarism, and nationalism)
was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. In
June 1914, a Serbian-nationalist terrorist group called the Black Hand sent
groups to assassinate the Archduke. Their first attempt failed when a driver
avoided a grenade thrown at their car. However, later that day a Serbian
nationalist named Gavrilo Princip shot the Archduke and his wife while they
were driving through Sarajevo, Bosnia which was part of Austria-Hungary.
They died of their wounds.

The assassination was in protest to Austria-Hungary having control of this

region: Serbia wanted to take over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
assassination of Ferdinand led to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia.
When Russia began to mobilize to defend its alliance with Serbia, Germany
declared war on Russia. Thus began the expansion of the war to include all
those involved in the mutual defense alliances.

Interesting Facts about the Causes of World War I

Germany quickly attacked France, hoping to conquer France in the

west before they had to fight the Russian army in the east.

Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s the major powers in
Europe had been building up their armies and navies in an arms race.

At the beginning, both sides believed that the war would be over
before the end of the year.

The British had the largest empire which included India, Australia,
Canada, and much of Africa.

United States was neutral at the start of the war and hoped to stay
out of the war.

https://www.historyonthenet.com/world-war-one-causes-2
https://www.historyhit.com/the-4-m-a-i-n-causes-of-world-war-one/

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history

https://www.ducksters.com/history/world_war_i/causes_of_ww1.php

https://www.thoughtco.com/causes-that-led-to-world-war-i-105515